Don't cage the parrot

It could lead to unhappy birds and even unhappier owners

It’s not known whether R M Lodha, former chief justice of the Supreme Court is an avid bird watcher. But his much-celebrated reference, in May 2013, to a “caged parrot” suggests he is one. Over five years later, Justice Lodha’s evocative phrase has started doing the rounds once again, suggesting two things: While years of captivity seem to have stunted the bird at New Delhi’s CGO Complex, the one on Mumbai’s Mint Road is once again using its sharp beak to resist persistent attempts to cage it.

Before coming to his conclusion, one assumes Justice Lodha had keenly observed the generally pitiable condition of caged parrots. And bird owners would do well to gain from that wisdom. They could also read up a little bit (as I have done) on the huge body of research work on the subject to know the ill effects of keeping parrots out of their natural habitat. The problem, however, is that almost all bird owners believe there are too many captive-raised parrots that need the safety of cages to survive. They are also of the firm belief that their feathered pets form strong bonds with the members of the human flock and sending them out to fend for themselves causes separation grief and anxiety to both. So, the urge to cage more and more parrots has increased over time.

Bird owners sometimes have found it difficult to keep larger species of parrots as they start making too much noise in captivity. Often, they are replaced with smaller parrot species, though they are less engaging than the larger birds and, therefore, give less bragging rights to the owners. But smaller ones don’t need super strong bars and don’t require large cages, making it much more convenient for their owners. This theory, however, has come in for scrutiny in at least one recent case. A real big catch, left behind by the previous owner, was replaced with one supposedly smaller in stature, but the latter has of late proved to be equally vociferous as his predecessor against all attempts to cage him. Aggression in parrots can be a serious problem, leading to unhappy birds and even unhappier owners.

Bird owners, of course, are conscious of their image and try to make peace as far as possible. So, most of them try to make sure that the cages are large enough to give an impression of plenty of room to fly and jump. They also provide enough toys (research shows most parrots enjoy puzzle toys and chew toys that help in mental stimulation). Some experts stress the importance of keeping toys with mirrors in the cages as the birds tend to consider them friends when their owners are away. Mirror toys, however, can be a problem sometimes as the parrots may get too fond of them and ignore or even attack their owners.

Some owners also watch out for any signs of stress or anxiety, such as screaming or constant pacing up or down in the cage. If overt expressions of love do not help, owners allow the birds to roam free only for a fixed period within their homes to provide a mirage of freedom. Only when all these options don’t help that owners consider abandoning the pets — something that has been used in a few cases.

But as any animal lover will tell you, capturing healthy wild birds is like kidnapping. It stresses the birds, which often develop respiratory problems, atrophied muscles and blindness. Research on “parrot biology” in US universities has shown that captive parrots without much activity often develop the same psychiatric condition as of autistic and schizophrenic human patients. A study done by the Department of Animal Science, University of California, suggests “stereotypic caged parrots are likely to be of questionable utility”.

It’s important to also know that caged parrots often indulge in self-mutilation (such as pulling out feathers or biting holes into the skin) because of mental anguish. The caged parrot in New Delhi has been found to be doing exactly that. But as the Mumbai bird is saying repeatedly, owners should learn to get over this obsession of being surrounded with caged parrots that only say things that they have been taught. It’s like looking at the mirror 24x7 to get all decisions or actions approved. That’s self-mutilation on the part of the bird owners as well.